Discount homes scheme is non-starter, critics claim

The government has promised to build 200,000 starter homes by 2020 to counter the housing shortage, but concerns have been raised over whether the properties will be affordable for the average buyerPA

A plan to build thousands of discounted starter homes for first-time buyers has come under attack from housing experts.

The government said yesterday said that the first set of discounted homes would be built on brownfield sites in 30 local authority areas of England. The announcement comes nearly two years after the launch of the starter homes scheme in February 2015.

Under the plan, newly built starter homes will be available at a 20 per cent discount for first-time buyers aged between 23 and 40, with a cap of £450,000 in London and £250,000 outside the capital.

The majority of homes are due to be built on brownfield sites that housebuilders otherwise would have deemed too expensive, owing to costs such as infrastructure or clearing…